When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie)

Vinson dropped his apartment address, and I punched it into my GPS.

The ride was in silence except for the voice of the navigation. Neither of us spoke a word.

It was too embarrassing, and I didn't even know how to bring it up.

When we pulled up to his apartment building, he finally turned to look at me. "Melanie, what's going on between you and Clyde? I've been abroad these past few years. All I knew was that you two got hitched."

I stared back at him, at a loss for words.

What could I say? Could I tell him Clyde has been bringing home one woman after another for the past three years? And I'd had a cancer relapse and didn't know how much time I had left.

Ultimately, I shook my head. "Forget it, Vinson. I'm getting a divorce anyway. We might as well not talk about it."

I felt that way. Divorce was inevitable, and my time was precious. I didn't want to waste it on Clyde.

Vinson looked at me for a moment before pulling out his phone. "Fine, let's swap contacts. Send me your number."

I quietly added him and watched him return to his apartment.

But before he left, he sent me a message.

[Whatever you decide, I'm here for you. Call me if Clyde gives you trouble. I'm here whenever you need.]

Reading those last few words, I felt a bit dizzy. Vinson had always been so understanding toward me. Back in college, when he found out I was chasing after Clyde, who paid me no mind, Vinson never stopped pursuing me. Everyone knew Vinson had a crush on me, but I pretended not to notice, keeping my distance on purpose. Yet, he never gave up.

After I got with Clyde, I remembered Vinson drank a lot that day. Later, his roommate called me to check on him. I didn't go, feeling it was inappropriate.

Then, a message from an unknown number told me to reach out if I needed anything, promising to be there. Only after Vinson graduated did I find out that message was from him. He had chased me for so long, and I didn't even have his contact.

Shaking my head to clear it, I quickly drove off. I was a bit out of it, and if I ended up scratching Jade's car, she'd totally flip out.

I hoped to see her when I got home, but she wasn't there.

However, seeing the cupcake that suddenly appeared on the table made me smile. It looked like Jade had come home but had to rush off again.

The thought of Jade and Vinson made my eyes well up a bit. It seemed I hadn't completely failed at life. Aside from picking the wrong husband, my friends and even an admirer like Vinson were great.

At last, I ate the cupcake and fell asleep on the couch.

The following morning, I woke up with a crick in my neck and shuffled off to freshen up.NôvelDrama.Org owns all content.

That was when my phone started blowing up.

Jade's husky voice filled the air. "Mel, you better check the news. Were you at the police station yesterday? Is the news true?"

A barrage of message notifications nearly deafened me. I clicked on the links sent by Jade, which were all about Clyde's police station debacle from the day before.

There were photos of him and Kayla, but someone had also snapped pics of me and Vinson.

[Patterson Group's CEO and his wife had got caught with their lovers at the police station, Clyde was suspected of cheating, and Clyde's faithful image shattered.]

Most people online were being pretty sensible. They analyzed the situation and clarified that Clyde was cheating.

But a few were just causing trouble.

[If the husband cheats, it's the wife's fault. Look how skinny she is. Holding her must hurt. Who could like that?]

[Mrs. Patterson was also with her toy boy. Guess there's no good in the wealthy, all playing the field, huh?]

[I heard Mrs. Patterson was the desperate one. Mr. Patterson wanted out long ago, but she's clinging to his money?]

I had no idea who had started it, but I became the target of all slander.

On the other hand, someizens hailed Kayla as a woman bravely fighting for love. A mistress must be a formidable figure to be considered a role model. Seeing someone attacking me with the same tone as Kayla, it felt like she was right before me.

But I quickly closed the page and told Jade not to worry. "Clyde's scandal will only hurt the Patterson family. It won't harm me a bit."

I said it out loud, and I believed it. Even when I arrived at work and sensed the changed glances from my colleagues, I carried on with my work, indifferent.

Getting a divorce meant all these revelations might be for the best, sparing me from being slandered alone.

When Kayla strutted over to call me into the office, smirking like she'd hit the jackpot, she started bossing me around like she owned the place.

With others around Kayla egging her

on, I stood up and nodded. "Thanks for the effort. With phones and messaging so handy, you still fan the errand. Tough job being an assistant."

I didn't wait to see her reaction, heading straight upstairs. I could guess Clyde wanted to confront me about the online fiasco. But instead, he told me to go home and change. "Grandpa wants us at the Patterson Mansion now. Don't dress too shabby."